Car-door mechanism



June 18, 1929.

c. HANKINS 1,717,382 CAR noon MECHANISM Filed July 20, 1927 s Sheets- Sheet 1 June 18, 1929. c. HANKINS GAR noon MECHANISM Filed July 20, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 18, 1929.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 M M M II/All! Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CYRUS HANKINS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

CAB-DOOR MECHANISM.

Application filed July 20,

The principal object of the invention is to afford a simple and rugged mechanism for reliably retaining a dump door of acar in closed position. Another object of the invention is to assemble the movable members of a door lock mechanism and their associated parts in such manner that they may thereafter be mounted on the car body as a unit.

A principal feature of the invention consists in providing, in combination with a hinged door for closing the lading discharge opening of a railway car, a locking unit mounted on the car body involving a plurality of spaced members, a hook interposed therebetween for cooperating with the door to 0 retain it in closed position, and means securing said members together,'one ,of said members being fashioned to receive means Y independent of said lastnamed means-for attaching the locking unit to the car body.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing in combination with a hinged door adapted-to 'closethe lading discharge opening of a railway car, means for retaining the door in closed position involving an arm secured to the door and projecting outwardly beyond an edge .of'the latter, a pivoted hook mounted-on the car body, a filler interposed between the car body and hook for spacing the latter outwardly beyond the car body, a cover plate overlying the outer face of the hook in spaced overlapping relation to the filler, and means for securing the cover plate to the filler, the filler having a plate portion provided with extensions projecting laterallytherefrom forreceiving meansfor at taching the filler to the car body.

A still further feature of the inventionjconsists in providing, in combination withoa hinged door adapted to close thedading-discharge opening of a railway car, means for retaining the door in closed position invo1v-' 1119; an arm secured to'the doorand projecting outwardly bevond-theside of the'car body,

and a pivoted hook for cooperating with the arm. said arm being formed with a bent web. having flanges united thereto and forming 'cherewithtwo oppositely opening channels,

line 7-7 Fig. 5. Figure Sis a arm. i

1927. Serial No. 207,291.

the channel at the outer end of said arm open- 1ng upwardly and one of the flanges thereof extending upwardly above the web of the other channel, said flange constituting a seat adapted to be engaged by said hook.

Other and more specific features of the invention, residing in particular constructions and advantageous relations of parts will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.-

In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a hopper car embodying the door mechanism involving the invention, the door stiffener being shown in section.

Figure 2-is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1. I

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the construction shownin Fig. 1, She view being normal to the plane of the cor.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of a portion of the hopper door showing the door stiffener and arm secured theretobthe view being taken on the vertical. 7 Y

Figure 5 is a detail plan view of the filler. Figure 6 is an end elevational view of'the filler.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view on the detail plan view of the door "Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99, Fig. 8.- I Figure 10 is a detail end elevational view of the door'arm shown in Fig. 8.}

The car illustrated in the drawings is of the well known type embodying hoppers .whose discharge openings are closed by hinged doors. The sloping side wall or sheet of the hopper is indicated at 1, while 2 in dicateslthe door, the latter being hinged to the car body as usual so as to swing to open position under the influence of gravity. Adjac'ent the discharge opening the side sheet of the hopper is preferably flared outwardly as at 3 so asv to overlappingly engage the outer face of the marginal flange 4 of the door, thus providing-means for effectively preventing leakage of lad'ing between the hopper and contacting portions of the door when the latter is in closed position. The

discharge opening of the hopper is prefer-' ably reinforced by any suitable means such as an angle 5, bent to conform to the cross section of the hopper.

Mounted on the car .body is a pivoted door locking member preferably in the form of a hook 6 having a plurality of ledges 7 and 8, respectively, the former cooperating with the flange 9 of the door arm 10 to maintain the door in partly closed position, and the latter serving when in engagement with said flange 9 to support the door in fully closed position. As the reinforcing member 5 projects outwardly beyond the side sheet of the hopper, the pivoted hook is preferably spaced outwardly from the latter by a filler 11. This filler is fashioned with a plate like portion 12 having a plurality of inwardly extending legs 13 which terminate in apertured lateral projections or extensions 14 and 15, respectively. The filler 11 is designed to straddle the outstanding flange of the reinforcing angle 5 and the lateral extensions 14 and 15 thereof are relatively inclined to conform to the slope of the side sheet, the extensions 14 contacting with the latter, and the extensions 15 engaging the outer face of the procumbent leg of the angle 5.

Overlying the outer face of the hook 6 in spaced overlapping relation to the filler 11 is a cover plate 16. Formed integral with this cover plate and projecting from the'outer face thereof is a pry bar fulcrum 17 which is-adapted to cooperate with a removable lever for actuating the door. This fulcrum, as shown, is preferably in the form of a loop or eye through which a pry bar may be inserted so as to bring its lower end into engagement with the outer end of the door arm 10. Constructing the fulcrum for the lever as a loop or perforated lug is advantageous in that it permits of ready application to the door of power either to force the latter to completely closed position or to swing it open in the event it is frozen or jammed in cover plate 16 is also preferably provided at a point adjacent the shank of the hook 6 with an aperture 18 bordered by an outstanding marginal flange 19. This construction, as will be readily understood, permits a bar to be inserted beneath the hook to pry it upward 1:10 unlocked position, thereby'releasing the oor.

The hook 6 is interposed between the cover plate member 16 and the filler member 11, and these two members are secured together by rivets 20, 21 and 22, respectively,- the rivet 20.-forming a pivotal support for the hook and the rivet 21 forming a pivotal support forgthe cam 23, which is also interposed be tween the two members for engagement with the hook to lock it in door supporting position. The filler is secured to the car body-by closed position. The

the, door arm.

rivets 24 passing through the laterally projecting apertured extensions 14 and 15 thereof. As these extensions project laterally outwlard beyond the area defined by the cover p ate the cover plate, and the interposed hook and cam together do not extend through the side sheet of the hopper for attaching these members to the car body, it will readily be appreciated that these members may be assembled and connected together and thereafter applied to the car body as a unit.

This construction is particularly desirable in that the rivets employed for attaching the filler to the car body may advantageously be disposed so as to transmit to the car body the forces imparted to the hook in amore effective manner than if, as is usually the case, the attaching rivets also function as pivotal supports for the hook and cam. It will also be perceived that by this construction the cover plate, hook or cam or any or all of them may be readily removed and replaced without disconnecting the filler from the car body.

Secured to the outer face of the door adjacent the lower free edge thereof is a sti lfening member or spreader 25 which preferably is in the form of a Z-bar having its inner or door contacting flange 26 extending upwardly and its outer flange 27 extending downwardly. The stiffener is secured to the door 2 by rivets 28 passing through its upper flange 26.

The door arm 10 extends between the door and the lower flange 27 of the door stiffener, being secured to the Web 29 of the latter by rivets 30 and to the door plate by rivets 31. The door arm is preferably fashioned as a casting of reversed channel form, having a bent web 32 and flanges 9, 33,- 34'and 35, respectively, projecting therefrom, the flanges 9 and 33 being at the outer end of the door arm and extending upwardly from the web 32 and the flanges 34 and 35 being at the inner end of the door arm and extending downwardly. The inner end of the web 32, which if desired may be provided with rivet bosses 36, is disposed parallel to and in contact with the outwardly projecting web portion 25 ofthe door spreader. Intermediate its ends the web 32 is angled downwardly from its upper plane, as indicated at 37, then extends out-- wardly in a lower plane, as indicated at 38, and preferably then angles upwardly at the outer end of the door arm to form an end wall 39 of the latter, tying the. flanges 9 and 33 together. The end wall 39 is inclined downwardly, as at 40, and lies in a plane forming an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of j The lower portion of the outer flange 33 adjacent the end wall 39 of the arm is likewise inclined as at 41, but it lies in a plane forming a less angle with the longitudinal axis than the inclined portion of the end wall. The portion 41 is inclined to such an extent that when the door is sup 16, and as the rivets securing the filler,

'occupy a lowered position comparatively near the free edge of thedoor, while at the same time permitting the mechnism to be kept well within the clearance limits, as indicated in Fig. 4 by the clearance limit line 42.

a The inner channel fianges'9 and 34 extend from their respective webs beyond the web of the adjacent channel, thus bringing the neutral axis of each channel of the door arm into substantial coincidence and more nearly in coincidence with that of the spreader. By this means any torsional moments which may be induced in the door arm due to the pressure of the hook against the flange 9 are reduced to a negligible minimum, thereby subjecting the connecting rivets 30 practically to shearing strains only.

I claim 2-- 1. In a car door mechanism, the combination with a car body having a. lading discharge opening, of a hinged door for closing said opening, an arm secured to the door and extending outwardly beyond an edge of, the latter, a pivoted hook mounted on the car body for cooperating with the door arm to retain the door in closed position, a filler interposed between the car body and hook, the latter being pivotally secured thereto, a cover plate overlying the outer face of the hook in spaced overlapping relation to the filler, the latter being provided on each side of its longitudinal axis with a plurality of portions projecting laterally outside of the area defined by the cover plate to receive means for attaching the filler to the car body, the projecting portions on each side ofthe longitudinal axis of the filler lying in substantially the same plane.

2. In a car door mechanism, the combination with a car body having a hopper and provided with a lading discharge opening,

of a reinforcing member secured to the hopper adjacent the opening thereof, a hinged door for closing said opening, an arm secured;

to the door and extending outwardly beyond an edge of the latter, a filler mounted on'the hopper, a cover plate overlapping portions of said filler, and a pivoted hook interposed between the filler and cover plate. for cooperating with the door armfor retaining the door in closed position, said filler having portions projecting laterally from its overlapped portions and disposed on opposite sides of a portion of the reinforcing member to receive means for attaching it to the car body. v

3. In a car door mechanism, the combination with a car body having a ladin discharge opening, of a hinged door for dosing said opening, an arm securedto the doorand extending outwardly beyond an edgeof the latter, a pivoted hook mounted on the car body for cooperating with the door arm to support the door in closed position, a filler interposed between the car body and hook for spacing the latter outwardly of the car body, the filler-being disposed in a plane sub stantially parallel. to the lateral marginal edge of the ladin hook being pivota ly mounted on the filler, and a cover plate overlyin the outer face of the hook in spaced overlapping relation to the filler, the said filler having a plate portion provided with extensions projecting latdischarge opening, I the erally therefrom for receiving means for attaching the filler to the'car body.

4. In a car door m'echanism,the combination with a car body having a lading discharge opening of a hinged door for closing said opening, an arm secured to the door and extending outwardly beyond'an edge of the latter, a pivoted hook mounted. en the car body cooperable with the door for retaining it in closed position, and a filler interposed between the car bodyv and hook forspacing the latter outwardly of the car body, the hook being pivotally mounted on the filler, the said filler having a plate portion provided with inwardly extending legs, said legs terminating in apertured lateral projections for receiving means for attaching car body.

5. In a car door mechanism, the combin a tion with a car body having a hopper prothe filler to the videdwith'a lading discharge opening, of a hinged door for closing said opening, an arm secured to the door and extending outwardly beyond an edge of the latter, a filler secured to the hopper adjacent the discharge open ing thereof, and a hook pivotally mounted on the filler for cooperating with the door arm to support the ddor in closed position, said filler having aplate portion substantially parallel to the plane of operation ofthe hook and-provided with apertured lateral projections spaced inwardly from the plate portion for receiving means for securing the filler to the hopper, the said lateral projections being inclinedwith respect to the plate portion of the filler. S6. A locking unit for railway cars of the type involving a hinged door movable to open position under the influence of gravity, said unit comprising a filler, a pivoted hook mounted on said filler and adapted to cooperate with a hinged door to retain the latter in closed position, a cover plate overlying the outer face of the hook -inoverlapping relation to the filler, and means for securing said cover plate to the filler, said filler having-a adapted to'attach said locking unit to the car body., 7 A locking unit for railway cars of the type involving a hinged door movable to open position under the influence of gravity, said 1 plate portion provided with lateral poje'ctions spaced inwardly from the latter for receiving means independe'nt o'f said last named means u'nit comprising a filler, a hook pivotaliy mounted on said filler and adapted to cooperate with a hinged door to retain the latter,

in' closed position, a cover plate overlying the outer face of the hook in overlapping relation to the filler, and means for securing said covor plate to the filler, said filler having a plate portion provided with extensions projecting aterally therefrom in spaced relation thereto for receiving means independent of said last named means adapted to attach said locking unit tothecar body, said lateral extensions being angularly disposed with respect to the said plate portion.

8. A locking unit for railway cars of the type involving a hinged door movable to open position under the influence of gravity, said unit comprising a filler member, a pivoted hook mounted thereon and adapted to cooperate with a hinged door to support the latter in closed position, a pivoted cam mounted on the filler cooperable with the hook to lock the latter in door supporting position, a cover plate member overlying the outer faces of the cam and hook, and means passing through said members respectively securing them together and forming pivotal supports for said cam and-hook, said filler having a plate portion provided with a plurality of inwardly extending legs, the latter terminating in lateral extensions for receiving means inde pendent of said last named means adapted to attach the locking unit to the car body.

9. In a car door mechanism, the combination with a car body having a lading discharge opening, of a hinged door for closing said opening, and meansfor retaining the door in closed position involving an arm secured to the door and projecting outwardly beyond the side of the car body, and a pivoted hook for cooperating with the arm, said arm being formed with a bent web-having flanges united thereto and forming therewith two oppositely opening channels, the channel at the outer end of said arm opening upwardly and one of the flanges thereof extending upwardly above the web of the other channel, said flange constituting, a seat adapted to be engaged by said hook.

10. In a car door mechanism, the combination with a car body having a lading discharge opening, of a hinged door for closing said opening, and means for retaining said door 1n closedposition involvlng an A arm secured to the door and projecting outwardly beyond the car body, and a pivoted hook for cooperating with the arm, said arm being formed with a bent web substantially normal to the plane of the door and having flanges united thereto and forming therewith oppositely opening channels, each of said channels having one flange extending respectively from its web beyond the web of the adjacent channel, one of said flangesconstituting a seat adapted to be engaged by the hook.

11. In a door mechanism, the combination-with a car body having a lading discharge opening, of a hinged door for closing said opening, and meansfor retaining the door in closed position, said means involving an arm secured to the door and projecting outwardly beyond the car body, and a pivoted hook cooperable with the arm, said arm being formed with a bent'web provided with spaced flanges extending on opposite sides thereof, the lower portion of the outer flange being inclined rearwardly adjacent its outer end.

12. In a car door mechanism, the combination with a car body having a lading discharge opening, of a hinged door for closing said opening, a spreader secured to the door having a' flange projecting outwardly therefrom, and means for retaining the door in closed position involving an arm secured to the stiffener, and a pivoted hook mounted on the car body for cooperating with the door arm, said'arrn being formed with a bent web having flanges united there to and forming therewith two oppositely opening channels, one of the flanges at the outer end of the door arm extending upwardly above the outstanding flange of the door spreader, the said flange constituting a seat adapted to be engaged by said hook.

13. In car door'mechanism, the combination with a carbody having a hopper provided with a lading discharge opening,of a reinforcing member secured to the hopper adjacent the discharge opening thereof and having a portion projecting outwardly therefrom, a hinged door for closing said opening, an arm secured to the door, and extending outwardly beyond an edge of the latter, a pivoted hook mounted on the. car body for cooperating with the door arm to retain the door in closed position,.a filler interposed betweenthe car body and hook, the latter being pivotally secured thereto, and a cover plate overlying the outer face of the hook in spaced overlapping-relation to the filler, the latter being rovided with a plu rality of portions pro ectinglaterally outside of the area, defined by the cover plate to receive means for attaching the filler to the car body, said projecting portions bein'g respectively disposed on opposite sides of the outwardly projecting portion of the reinforcing member.

14. In car door mechanism, the combination with a car body having a hopper provided with a-lading discharge opening, of a reinforcing member secured to the side sheet of the hopper adjacent the opening thereof and having an outstanding flange, a hinged door for closing said opening, a hook pivotally mountedon'the car body and cooperable with a portion of the door for supporting the latter in closed position, a filler member interposed between the hopper and hook for spacing the latter outwardly therefrom,

said filler member. being fashioned to strad-t dle the outstanding flange of the reinforcing member, and a cover plate overlying the outer face of the hook in spaced overlapping 'to receive means for attaching the filler t0 the car body.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CYRUS HANKINS. 

